Don't make a federal case out of football dispute Putin's party wins 'dirty' parliamentary election

Published: Tuesday, December 04, 2007

WE UNDERSTAND the frustration felt by fans who wanted to watch the Dallas Cowboys play the Green Bay Packers Thursday night. But we are solidly in favor of the free market system, and the matter simply boils down to a business dispute. Don't try to make a federal case out of it.

More than 30 state and local officials in Texas reportedly got involved and asked the Federal Communications Commission to get involved with the dispute between the NFL Network and local television companies.

Sorry, but the FCC should stay out of it. Governments already are way too involved with things in this country that should be matters of private business.

At-A-Glance

 Our Position: The conflict between the NFL Network and local cable television companies regarding broadcast of football games is a business dispute and not something in which governments should be involved.

 Background: Local football fans did not get to watch the Thursday game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers on cable television.

 What You Can Do: Football fans who would like Suddenlink to add the NFL Network to its local programming can call and make their wishes known.

 On the Internet: An article on our Web site, lubbockonline.com, about the dispute can be found at: http://www.lubbockonline. com/stories/112707/bus_112707004.shtml

Audio Slideshow

David Brandon

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On the Net:

 Jeff Herring

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We would have liked to have seen the parties work it out amicably. Failing that, it simply is not the government's business.

The dispute probably reminded local fans of the touchy situation last year when the Insight Bowl game between Texas Tech and Minnesota was on the NFL Network, which is not part of the programming of Suddenlink Communications, the local cable television company. That ended satisfactorily with the two parties agreeing to a free preview week of NFL Network programming on Suddenlink, which made the game available to local cable subscribers.

The ongoing dispute can be summarized in a nutshell: The NFL Network owns the rights to broadcast certain professional and college football games. The company wants local cable TV companies to add it to the list of channels they offer subscribers. However, the local cable companies want to avoid adding a network that would add a significant cost to all of their customers but would be watched only by part of them.

NFL Network officials are not villains for wanting what they consider to be a fair market price for what they own. Nor are the cable companies villains. Both sides want to maximize their profits. They operate in a free market, and it should remain that way.

Suddenlink has made what we consider to be reasonable alternative offers to the NFL Network, including making such games available to customers on a pay-per-view basis, giving the NFL Network a stand-alone digital channel or carrying the NFL Network in a digital sports tier.

We hope the two companies can resolve their dispute and work it out arrangements for future viewing of games by local sports fans. But in any case, it is not the government's business.